GB2157338A

GB2157338A - Curtain wall panel support

Info

Publication number: GB2157338A
Application number: GB08507171A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hiromitsu Kaminaga
Original assignee: Yoshida Kogyo KK
Current assignee: YKK Corp
Priority date: 1984-03-22
Filing date: 1985-03-20
Publication date: 1985-10-23
Also published as: MY102569A; CA1235277A; US4619092A; JPS60152711U; KR900000542Y1; SG81788G; KR850010641U; GB8507171D0; PH22499A; GB2157338B; HK23989A; JPH024175Y2

Description

1 GB 2 157 338A 1

SPECIFICATION

Curtain wall panel supporting device The present invention relates to a curtain wall 70 panel supporting device.

As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 27047/84, there is known a panel supporting device in which batten mem bers are fixed to one side face of a rectangular 75 frame through heat insulating connection members. Vertical and horizontal grooves are formed by the frame, the connecting members and the batten members in combination.

These grooves are continguous along the four 80 inner peripheries of the frame and are open toward the inside of the rectangular frame. A panel is fitted in the grooves so that the four outer peripheries of the panel are inserted into the grooves, respectively, so as to form spaces 85 between the outer peripheral edges of the panel and the bottoms of the grooves. These spaces are contiguous along the four inner peripheries of the frame and allowed to com municate with the outside air through through-holes formed in the batten members.

With such structure, the panel supporting means has good heat insulation and the spaces are kept equal in pressure to the outside air, so the penetration of rain water caused by the pressure difference, etc can be substantially prevented. Furthermore, rain water or the like which has penetrated into the spaces by some cause or another can be easily drained to the exterior without penetrat 100 ing into the room interior.

However, since the heat insulating connec tion members are exposed to the aforesaid spaces, rain water or the like which has pene trated into the spaces may adhere to the connection members and in cold weather be come frozen, with expansion between the frame member and the batten member, thus resulting in various disadvantages. For example, the exterior heat is transmitted through the frozen portion directly into the room, so that the heat insulation performance of the connection members is deteriorated by the freezing; besides, since the outside air, rain water, etc directly act on and contact the 115 connection member, the connection members become degraded, in time, and debased in heat insulation performance.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a curtain wall panel support 120 ing device comprising:

(a) a rectangular frame formed by right and left vertical frame members of a curtain wall unit, upper and lower horizontal frame mem bers of the curtain wall unit, connecting mem bers having a heat insulating property and fixedly secured to the outer side of said verti cal and horizontal frame members, and batten members fixedly secured to the outer side of said connection members; (b) a panel mounted into said rectangular frame; and (c) seal members provided between said rectangular frame and said panel, wherein said batten members are connected to respective outer side faces of said vertical and horizontal frame members though said connection members, and said rectangular frame has grooves which are contiguous along the four inner peripheries of the rectangular frame and which are open in vertical and transverse directions with respect to the curtain wall plane, and said panel is grippingly supported in said grooves through said seal members to form spaces between the panel and the grooves, which spaces are contiguous along the four inner peripheries of the rectangular frame and are open to the outside air, and wherein the portions of said connection members which face said grooves are covered with said seal members.

It is believed possible by means of the present invention to provide a curtain wall panel supporting device superior in heat insu- lation and capable of surely preventing the entry of rain water or the like under the theory of equal pressure, easily draining to the exterior rain water or the like which has entered from the exterior, ensuring the heat insulation performance of the connection members against frozen rain water or the like and maintaining a superior heat insulation per formance over a long period while minimizing deterioration and decrepitude.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of part of a building using a curtain wall; Figures 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views taken on lines 11-11, 111,111 and IV-1V, respec tively, of Fig. 1; Figure 2A is an enlarged view of a portion IIA of Fig. 2; and Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of a unit curtain wall.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown part of a building using a curtain wall, in schematic front view, in which an upper horizontal mem ber 2, an upper intermediate horizontal mem ber 3, a lower intermediate horizontal member 4 and a lower horizontal member 5 are mounted between right and left vertical mem bers 1 to constitute three frame portions, in each of which is fitted a panel 6 to constitute a unit curtain wall A, and the three such unit curtain walls A mounted continuously in verti cal and transverse directions.

Referring now to Fig. 2, a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1, the vertical member 1 comprises a vertical frame 10 and a vertical batten member 11 which are inter connected through a vertical connection mem ber 12 having a heat insulating property. The connection members are made of metamor- 2 phic PPO, rigid PVC, ABS resin, etc.

The vertical frame 10 is an elongated frame having a hollow portion 10' which is formed by room-inside and room-outside walls 1 Oa and 1 Ob and inner and outer walls 1 Oc and 1 Od and which serves an an air passage. (N.B. The terms -room-inside- and---roomoutside- herein means---onthe same side as, or towards, the room- and---onthe far side, or away, from the room- respectively, the room being at the bottom of Figs. 2 and IIA.) The room-inside wall 1 Oa, which is thickwalled, has a bore-hole 14 serving as a heat transfer medium passage and a laterally open hollow or recessed portion 15. At a central portion in the transverse direction of the room-outside wall 1 Ob is integrally formed a mounting frame 16 which is]-shaped by both side walls 16a and 16b and a connection wall 1 6c. The connection wall 16c of the mount- 85 ing frame 16 extends laterally outwards to form an extension wall 17, and an outer lateral groove 18 is formed by the extension wall 17, one side wall 16a and the room outside wall 1 Ob, an undercut seal member mounting groove 1 6d is formed in the con nection between the connection wall 16c and the other side wall 1 6b, and an undercut groove 19 is formed on the side of the inner wall 1 Oc of the room-outside wall 1 Ob.

Further, a hollow or recessed portion 20a of an attachment 20 is fitted on the connection wall 16c of the mounting frame 16 and it is held in place with a connecting bolt 21. On both right and left sides of the attachment 20 100 are formed a pair of hollow or recessed por tions 22 as engaged portions which are open toward the outside, and a groove 23 is formed by one side 20b and the groove 1 6d, with a lip or slange 24 being formed inte- 105 grally with one side 20b.

The connection member 12 is in a]-shape formed by two side walls 25 and 26 and a connection wall 27 and having a width smal ler than that of the vertical batten member 11. It has a housing portion 12' capable of housing therein the head portion of the con necting bolt 21, and the fore end portions of the side walls 25 and 26 are notched to form a pair of engaging portions 28 adapted to fit in the paired hollow or recessed portions 22, while the base end portions of the side walls and 26 are notched to form a pair of engaged portions 29, which form together with the connection wall 27 a hollow portion 120 facing the outside.

The vertical batten member 11 comprises a first batten portion 31 and a second batten portion 32, and has the same width as the vertical frame 10. The first batten portion 31 has a mounting wall 31a, a projecting wall 31 b projecting toward the outside and a pair of lateral walls 31 c, and forms a hollow portion 33 which is open toward the outside.

Between the outward walls 31 c is formed a GB 2 157 338A 2 lateral groove 34, while on both side portion of the mounting wall 31 a are formed a pair of projections 35 and on an inner end portion thereof is formed a lip 36. The paired projec- tions 35 are brought into abutment with the connection wall 27 of the connection member 12 and fixed with a connecting bolt 47 to the connection wall 1 6c of the mounting frame 16 together with the connection member 12. The head portion of the connecting bolt 47 is received in the hollow portion 33.

The second batten portion 32 includes a lateral wall 32a and a pair of inwardly projecting walls 37 formed integrally with the hori- zontal wall 32a so as to fit in the hollow portion 33, and at an inner side portion of the horizontal wall 32a is formed a hollow groove 38 which is open toward the room inside. The paired projecting walls 37 are fitted in the hollow portion 33 and fixed with a connecting bolt 39 to the mounting wall 31 a of the first batten portion 31.

Ythe bolts 21, 47 and 39 are tightened and fixed through seal packaging 21 a, 47a and 39a and washers 21 b, 47b and 39b so that rain water, outside air, etc may not penetrate the interior through the bolt insertion holes.

Between the mounting wall 31 a of the first batten portion 31 and the lateral wall 32a of the second batten portion 32 is held an elastic packing 39c which is generally in the form of a rectangular parallelopiped and which is centrally formed with bolt shank inserting through-holes. The shank portion of each connecting bolt 39 extends through the throughhole of the elastic packing 39c and is threadedly engaged with the second batten portion 32. Such arrangement prevents the leakage of water from the bolt shank inserting holes.

Thus, it is possible to position and mount the connection member 12 with respect to the attachment 20 which is fixed to the vertical frame 10, also to position and mount the first batten portion 31 with reference to the con- nection member 12, and further to position and mount the second batten portion 32 to the first batten portion 31. Consequently, the vertical frame 10 and the presser edge member 11 can be easily positioned and con- nected through the connection member 12.

Since the connection member 12 is smaller in width than the vertical frame 10 and the batten member 11, grooves B and C which are open outwards and inwards respectively are formed by the side walls 25 and 26 of the connection member 12, the vertical frame 10 and the batten member 11, and the panel 6 is fitted in the inwardly open groove C.

Further, between an end portion of the extension wall 17 and an end portion of one outward wall 31 c is mounted an auxiliary connection member 40 formed of a heat insulating material in a position approximately aligned with the outer wall 1 Od of the vertical frame 10, and a heat insulator 41 is disposed 3 GB 2 157 338A 3 between the auxiliary connection member 40 and one side wall 25 of the connection mem ber 12 to prevent heat loss caused by radia tion and convection thereby improving the heat insulating characteristic. At the same time, the outwardly open groove B is thereby closed to prevent the vertical frame 10 and the batten member 11 from being displaced toward one groove B. Therefore, the other groove C is not opened and so the panel 6 can be held in place firmly.

The panel 6 is fitted in the groove C which is open inwardly in the transverse direction with respect to the curtain wall plane, and it is held between room-inside and -outside seal members 42 and 43 which are made of a synthetic rubber, a non-rigid synthetic resin, etc assuring heat insulating property and water-tightness. The room-inside seal member 42 is in a hook-like bent shape formed by a first sealing piece 44 which is in contact with the other side wall 26 of the connection member 12 and which extends in a direction orthogonal to the curtain wall plane, and a second sealing piece 45 which is in contact with a room-inside face 6a of the panel 6 and which extends transversely with respect to the curtain wall plane. At an intermediate portion of the first sealing piece 44 is integrally formed an intermediate mounting portion 46 95 which is fixedly held in the groove 23 formed by the groove 1 6d of the mounting frame 16 and the other side 20b of the attachment 20.

Further, the lip 24 firmly bites the intermedi- ate mounting portion 46, and a hool-like bent, 100 fore end mounting portion 461 is integrally formed at the fore end mounting portion 461 fits over the engaged portion 29 of the connection member 12 and is pressed down by the mounting wall 31 a of the first batten portion 31, that is, the fore end mounting portion 461 is held and fixed between the mounting wall 31 a and the engaged portion 29. Besides, the pawl 36 firmly bites the fore end mounting portion 461. Thus, the first sealing piece 44 covers the other side wall 26 of the connection member 12, namely, the portion of the connection member which faces the groove C.

The second sealing piece 45 is integrally formed with a mounting portion 462. The mounting portion 462 is fitted in the groove 19 formed on the room-outside wall 1 Ob of the vertical frame 10 and thereby secured firmly to the vertical frame 10.

The room-outside seal member 43 is fitted in the groove 38 and is in pressure contact with an outside face 6b of the panel 6.

Thus, the panel 6 is grippingly supported in the groove C by the room-inside and -outside 125 seal members 42 and 43, and between its end face 6c and the bottom portion of the groove C or the first sealing piece 44 is formed a space D which is open to the outside air through a through-hole 48 of the second batten portion 32 and a through-hole 49a of a vertical cover 49.

Consequently, the space D and the outside air become equal in pressure to improve seala- bility of the panel mounting portion. Besides, since the portion of the connection member 12 which faces the groove C is covered with the first sealing piece 44, there will be no adhesion and freezing of rain water or the like which has entered the space with respect to the connection member 12, nor will there be a direct contact of the outside air with the connection member 12, thus preventing the connection member 12 from becoming de- graded and deteriorated in heat insulation performance in an early stage.

A room-inside packing band 50 is disposed between the hollow portions 15 in the vertical members 1 of transversely adjacent unit cur- tain walls A, while between the grooves 18 is disposed an intermediate packing band 51. Further, between the grooves 34 are disposed first and second room-outside packing bands 52 and 53 which are opposed to each other.

The auxiliary connection members 40 somewhat bite into the intermediate packing band 51 and the first and second room-outside packing bands 52 and 53 and are thereby connected thereto.

Referring now to Fig. 3, there is described a sectional view taken on line 111-111 of Fig. 1, in which the upper intermediate horizontal member 3 includes a horizontal frame 54 and a horizontal battern member 55 which are interconnected through an attachment 56 and a horizontal connection member 57 formed of a heat insulating material to form upper and lower grooves E and F.

The lower intermediate horizontal member 4 includes a horizontal frame 58 and a horizontal presser edge member 59 which are interconnected through an attachment 60 and a horizontal connection member 61 formed of a heat insulating material to form upper and lower grooves G and H.

The batten members, 55, 59 the attachments 56, 60 and the connection members 57, 61 are of the same shapes and connected in the same fashion as the presser edge member 11, attachment 20 and connection member 12, respectively, of the vertical member 1, so explanations thereon are here omitted.

In the upper groove E of the upper interme- diate horizontal member 3 is grippingly supported the panel 6 through room-inside and outside seal members 62 and 63. The roominside and - outside seal members 62 and 63, which are of the same shapes as the roominside and -outside seal members 42 and 43, respectively, of the vertical member 1, cover the portion of the connection member 57 which faces the groove E and at the same time form a space 1 between them and the panel 6. The space 1 is open to the outside 4 GB 2 157 338A 4 air through a through hole 64 of the presser edge member 55 and a through hole 66 of a horizontal cover 65.

In the lower groove F is grippingly sup- ported a double glass through room-inside and -outside seal members 67 and 68. Like the room-inside seal member 42, the roominside seal member 67 covers the portion of the connection member 57 which faces the groove F and forms a space J between it and the panel 6; further, it is connected to the horizontal frame 54 through a mounting member 69.

In the groove H below the lower intermedi- ate horizontal member 4 is grippingly supported the panel 6 through room- inside and outside seal members 70 and 71. The roominside and -outside seal members 70 and 71, which are of the same shapes as the room- inside and -outside seal members 42 and 43, respectively, of the vertical member 1, cover the portion of the connection member 61 which faces the groove H and form a space k between them and the panel 6.

In the upper groove G is grippingly supported a double glass as the panel 6 through room-inside and -outside seal members 72 and 73. Like the roominside seal member 42, the room-inside seal member 72 covers the portion of the connection member 61 which faces the groove G and forms a space L between it and the panel 6; further, it is connected to the horizontal frame 58 through a mounting member 74. The space L is open to the outside air through a through-hole of the batten member 59 and a through hole 77 of a horizontal cover 76.

Referring now to Fig. 4, there is described a sectional view taken on line W-W of Fig. 1, in which the upper horizontal member 2 includes a horizontal frame 78 and a horizontal batten member 79 which are interconnected in the same manner as previously noted through an attachment 80 and a connection member 81 formed of a heat insulating material to constitute a downward groove M. In the groove M is grippingly supported an upper portion of the panel 6 through roominside and -outside seal members 82 and 82' in the same fashion as previously described to form a space N. The room-inside seal member 82 covers the portion of the connection mem ber 81 which faces the groove M.

A first batten portion 79, of the batten member 79 is in abutment with a room- 120 outside wall 78a of the horizontal frame 78 through a seal member 83 and is retainingly engaged with an upper portion of a horizontal cover 84. And it has a drip piece 85 and a rising piece 86, with a seal member 87 being fitted over the rising piece 86.

The lower horizontal member 5 includes a horizontal frame 88 and a horizontal batten member 89 which are interconnected in the same fashion as previously indicated through an attachment 90 and a connection member 91 formed of a heat insulating material to constitute an upward groove 0. In the groove 0 is grippingly supported a lower end portion of the panel 6 through room-inside and outside seal members 92 and 93 to form a space C. The room-inside seal member 92 covers the portion of the connection member 91 which faces the groove 0, and the space P is open to the outside air through a through hole 94 formed in a second batten portion 892 of the batten member 89 and a throughhole 96 of horizontal cover 95.

A first batten portion 89, of the batten member 89 is in abutment with a roomoutside wall 88a of the horizontal frame 88 through a seal member 97, and a sealing piece 98 is attached to a room-outside part of the first batten portion 891, with a groove 99 being formed in an intermediate part. The sealing piece 98 is in abutment with the drip piece 85 and the seal member 87 is fitted in the groove 99 to seal the connection between the upper and lower horizontal members 2 and 5.

The reference numeral 100 denotes a rain water draining notch and the numeral 101 denotes a heat insulating sponge for prevention of dew with the above arrangement, in the interior of the rectangular frame composed of the right and left vertical members 1, upper horizontal member 12 and upper intermediate horizontal member 3 are formed the grooves C, M, C and E which are contiguous along the four sides of the frame, and between these grooves and the panel 6 fitted in the rectangular frame are formed the spaces, D, N, D and 1 which are contiguous along the four sides of the frame and which are open to the outside air.

Moreover, in the interior of the rectangular frame composed of the right and left vertical members 1, upper intermediate horizontal member 3 and lower intermediate horizontal member 4 are formed the grooves C, F, C and G which are contiguous along the four sides of the frame, and between these grooves and the panel fitted in the rectangular frame are formed the spaces D, J, D and 1 which are contiguous along the four sides of the frame and which are open to the outside air.

Further, in the rectangular frame composed of the right and left vertical members 1, lower intermediate horizontal member 4 and lower horizontal member 5 are formed the grooves C, H, C and 0 which are contiguous along the four sides of the frame, and between these grooves and the panel 6 fitted in the rectangular frame and formed the spaces D, K D and P which are contiguous along the four sides of the frame.

Therefore, the spaces which are contiguous along the four sides of the frame can be made equal in pressure to the outside air to provide a positive prevention of rain water, etc under GB 2 157 338A 5 the theory of equal pressure, and even in the event of entry of rain water or the like into those spaces, an easy draining to the exterior can be ensured.

Moreover, since the portions of the connec tion members 12, 57, 61, 81 and 91 which face the grooves C, E, F, G, H, M and 0 are covered with the room-inside seal members 42, 62, 67, 70, 72, 82 and 92, it is not possible at all that rain water which has penetrated from the outside of the room will adhere to the connection members and freeze thereon or the outside air will directly contact the connection members. Therefore, little or no possibility exists that the connection members will become decrepit and deteriorate in their heat insulating performance in an early stage.

Further, since the frame portions and the batten portions are connected through the heat insulatable connection members to form grooves and the panel is grippingly supported in these grooves, there can be obtained a panel supporting device superior in heat insulating performance.

Claims

1. A curtain wall panel supporting device comprising:

(a) a rectangular frame formed by right and left vertical frame members of a curtain wall unit, upper and lower horizontal frame members of the curtain wall unit, connecting members having a heat insulating property and fixedly secured to the outer side of said vertical and horizontal frame members, and batten members fixedly secured to the outer side of said connection members; ((b) a panel mounted into said rectangular frame; and (c) seal member provided between said rectangular frame and said panel, wherein said batten members are connected to respective outer side faces of said vertical and horizontal frame members though said connection members, and said rectangular frame has grooves which are contiguous along the four inner peripheries of the rectangular frame and which are open in vertical and transverse directions with respect to the curtain wall plane, and said panel is grippingly supported in said grooves through said seal members to form spaces between the panel and the grooves, which spaces are contiguous along the four inner peripheries of the rectangular frame and are open to the outsider air, and wherein the portions of said connection members which face said grooves are covered with said seal members.

2. A curtain wall panel supporting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said seal members comprises room-inside seal members and room-outside seal members.

3. A curtain wall panel supporting device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the portions of said connection members which face said grooves are covered with said room-inside seal members.

4. A curtain wall panel supporting device substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Printed in the United Kingdom for Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Dd 8818935, 1985, 4235. Published at The Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A lAY, from which copies may be obtained.